All You Need Is A Little Love
by Flygon Master
Summary: There is a difference between Sympathy and Empathy. While Sympathy is simply the act of showing compassion and understanding for a persons situation, Empathy is the act of putting yourself in their shoes mentally and emotionally...'A traumatic life experience that left a little girl alone in the world with no one to turn too'...It wasn't hard for Tomoe Mami empathize.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Madoka - This is purely for fan enjoyment.**

* * *

"Stupid…you know better…"

Kyouko Sakura muttered to herself as she trudged forward. The sound of her heavy footsteps echoing lightly against the abandoned alley walls. Her right hand desperately clutching her left bicep in some vain hope of alleviating some of the pain she felt, despite knowing all it did was make her look even more broken and weak.

She knew better than to pick a fight with those delinquents, she was outnumbered and had nothing on hand to use in her defense…and of course they would have knives.

Pausing to steady her breath, Kyouko pulled her hand away from her arm and looked down to see it thickly coated in her own blood.

Horrible memories began flashing through her mind as she now stared absentmindedly at her blood soaked hand. Memories of fire and death…of her little sister and happiness she once knew.

The sight of her blood dissipating from her hand brought Kyouko back to reality. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening, but the sudden chill and dampness of her clothes were an unmistakable giveaway.

Closing her eyes and tilting her face upwards, Kyouko took a deep breath as she let the soft warm droplets land on her face. She had always loved rain, with this gentle spring rain being her most favorite of them all.

All at once Kyouko found herself on the ground, leaning against the alley wall. Her multiple wounds screaming with renewed pain as well as a new throbbing in her head.

"Shit…I'm losing too much blood." Kyouko hissed to herself, rubbing the back of her head for a moment before her right hand found her arm again.

The last thing Kyouko needed was to black out. She had been lucky that she had fallen into the wall and hit her head, had that pain not woken her up she might have bled out before naturally coming too. A grunt of pain escaped her lips as she stood, grinding her shoulder against the wall as a way to steady herself.

She was only a few blocks from her destination now, she just had to keep going. The thought of simply lying down and enjoying the rain until she passed out and left this world seemed like a pretty good option as well…

"Come on shithead, walk…we have places to go." Kyouko said with a small, almost impish, grin. She wasn't going to leave this world without a fight so after a little effort the alley was filled with the sound of her footfall once again, albeit a little softer now due to the sound of the ever strengthening rainfall.

… … … … …

"I'm telling you Tomoe-san you are too soft with her, if you aren't strict with her she will never learn and heavens knows Madoka here won't be." Sayaka Miki complained as she scooted closer to her longtime friend Madoka Kaname in hopes of escaping the torrents of water falling from the sky.

However Madoka simply jutted her hip to the side, easily bumping the unprepared blunette out from under her umbrella and back into the rain. "If you keep being so mean to Homura-chan then she will continue to avoid people and she will never get used to having friends!" The smallest of the three girls huffed angrily, furrowing her brows at Sayaka in a scolding manner.

A string of mumbled complaints left Sayaka's mouth as she darted to Mami Tomoe's side in hopes the older girl would be so kind as to shelter her from the elements.

"I believe you are both right to an extent, there is no need to be overly harsh with Akemi-san." Mami said with a soft nudge to her damp underclassmen. "However, there is no need to baby her either Kaname-san." Her comment was punctuated with a look Madoka could only describe as motherly.

Mami was about to continue with that train of thought and share a few ideas she had come up with for helping the fourth member of their group open up a bit socially when the sight of a clearly injured red head caught her eye.

Before either of the other two knew what was happening Mami's umbrella was on the ground and the older girl was sprinting into the alley they were currently walking past.

It took only a few seconds for Mami to reach the other girl, but the sound of her hurried approach must have startled the red head because she swung her head around at the sudden sound. The movement must have caused some of the blood to leave her head cause she stumbled right after, luckily Mami was able to catch her and gently lower her to a sitting position on the ground.

Taking in the sight before her Mami felt a well of sympathy and a growing pit of concern for this blood soaked girl swell in her chest. She couldn't have been much older than Mami herself was and if she had been known to gamble Mami would have guessed that the girl was in fact younger than she was.

What parts of this girls clothes that weren't covered in blood were very obviously dirty, marred with soot and grime. The same could be said about the girl's skin, although what little was visible was mostly covered by blood.

There was no doubting the origin of the blood either as there were several obvious slash wounds all over her body and such a frail body it was. Mami had pulled out the portable first aid kit she kept in her school bag during her brief sprint through the ally and after she carefully cutting the sleeve off the girls left arm, so she could bandage what she thought was the most serious wound, she found herself awestruck at just how malnourished that arm seemed to be.

Shaking herself from her thoughts she forced her mind back on her task at hand, trying with all her might to keep her empathy in check and to not start crying at the misfortune this girl must have gone through.

"Mami-chan why did you- Oh no, what happened? Should we call for an ambulance?" Madoka said in a panicked tone as she came to a stop behind the oldest girl and began fumbling through her bag looking for her phone. Sayaka, while saying nothing, looked just as worried as the other two as she leaned forward to use Mami's umbrella to shelter the two sitting on the ground from the rain.

"No! No ambulances! I don't need your help so why don't you fuck off!" Kyouko snapped viciously once she came too, having lost consciousness once again for a few minutes. Yanking her arm out of Mami's light grasp and trying to back up further into the wall she was leaning against, baring her teeth in a manner she must have thought was threating.

It seemed to have worked on Madoka who meeped softly, taking a step back in an effort to show she wanted no trouble. Sayaka simply scoffed, unable to believe that this girl was acting in such a way to people trying to offer her aid.

Mami couldn't help but think how cute she looked. Like a baby fox trying it's hardest to look scary.

"Fuck off huh? Listen here you piece of-" Sayaka began, fully intending to tear into this arrogant girl, but a soft pat to her knee stopped her before she could really say much of anything. Instead opting to stare daggers at the girl, who just stared them right back until Mami took her attention by speaking up.

"You wounds are pretty bad, not life threatening yet I think, but if we don't get them treated you might be at risk of losing too much blood or getting some form of infection. I think its best that we call for one…" Mami said in a stern yet somehow loving tone as she pulled her cellphone from her bag.

"NO YOU CAN'T!" Was shouted angrily by the girl, who now shot a different kind of glare at Mami. Instead of anger and distrust this glare was filled with self-loathing and fear.

The sound of rain was the only thing that filled the girls ears as they all went silent after the shout had finished echoing off the alley walls. After what felt like several minutes of tense silence Mami was the first to act, sliding her phone back into her bag before leaning forward to look the wounded girl directly in the eyes.

"I won't call, but you have to promise to cooperate with me and let me help you in their place." Mami gave her terms with a soft and reassuring smile, yet with a tone that meant she was serious and left no room to negotiate.

The red head's eyes narrowed, trying to find some ill will in Mami's own. When she couldn't find any she swallowed hard before nodding her head slightly. "Fine…you win."

"So we have a deal…?" Mami said, leaving her open question hanging in the air a moment for the other girl to finish.

"Kyouko. Kyouko Sakura." Came the answer she was looking for.

"So we have a deal then Sakura-san." Mami said with a smile before she scooped the red head up into her arms bridal style much to said girl's displeasure, but before Kyouko could complain Mami spoke up and cut her off.

"You need to cooperate Sakura-san, so I need you to bear with and pain or embarrassment you might be feeling for now." Her tone was oddly cheerful and with nothing left to be said she left the alley with Kyouko in tow and headed back towards her apartment.

"Did you know she was that strong?" Sayaka asked in bewilderment to which Madoka merely shook her head, having never seen Mami do anything close to that before.

"Weird…" Was all Sayaka could mumble before the two ran after their upperclassman.

… … … … …

"I still don't think it's a good idea Tomoe-san, at least let me stay here with you!"

Kyouko could hear the loudmouth all the way from across the house, but that didn't surprise her since the annoying girl had done nothing but bad mouth Kyouko the whole way back to this apartment. Not that Kyouko could really blame her, while she didn't have a strong understanding on how these situations worked she could guess it broke a lot of conventions to take anyone who looked like she did to your home where you live alone.

It still pissed her off though and once she was in a better state she might have beat the blunette's ass for continuously running her mouth.

After the group reached Mami's house, said homeowner took Kyouko to her bathroom and placed her on one of the small plastic wash stools. After a stern order to stay put and not to move while she went and got her first aid kit Mami was gone, leaving Kyouko in silence except for the occasional outburst she heard from the big mouth.

Kyouko had no way to tell how quickly or slowly time was passing, but the now deafening silence was getting to her. No noise, no wind, no rain…and with the events of the day really starting to set in, Kyouko found her eyelids getting heavy.

The sudden reappearance from Mami snapped Kyouko back to attention as she turned around to see the other girl holding quite a few things. A white plastic box, towels and what appeared to be clothes were carried over to the sink counter before being placed down.

"Sorry about taking so long Sakura-san, those two were being a bit too worrisome about my well-being and didn't want to leave." Mami said with a good hearted smile before taking the box and walking around behind where Kyouko sat.

"They might be right. Maybe I'll attack you now that we're alone." Kyouko tried to keep the exhaustion from her voice in the hope of sound convincing, but the small giggle that came from behind her told her that simply wasn't the case.

A soft 'up' was uttered as Mami tugged the hem of Kyouko's shirt and sweatshirt upwards. Kyouko wanted to wrap her arms tightly around her body and tell the other girl off for trying to disrobe her, but instead she found herself weakly raising her arms in the air.

Mami looked over the pieces of cloth with a frown. They weren't just dirty, but they were old and falling apart. Not to mention the wrong size for a girl of Kyouko's age, so without another thought Mami deftly tossed them into the nearby trash bin while making a mental note to take Kyouko shopping at some point.

"Maybe I'll be the one to attack you…" Mami spoke in a low and teasing tone, a small smile on her lips at what she believed to be a harmless little joke. Her smile faulted when she heard the sound of Kyouko falling off the stool and turned back to find the red headed girl slowly backing away from her, using her good arm to cover up her seemingly bare chest.

However what really caught Mami's attention was not the cuts and gashes littering Kyouko's arms and stomach. It was not the girl's barely hidden bust nor was it her ribs that showed through her skin. What really caught drew Mami's gaze was despite having the meanest expression she could muster Kyouko's eyes held a look of fear that Mami had never seen before.

After a standoff of stares was had for a few moments Mami knelt down, sitting on her own heels in an effort to show Kyouko she wouldn't come any closer if the girl didn't say it was okay first.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, that was meant to be a harmless joke. I have no intention of attacking you or bringing harm to you in any way, I merely want to help you feel better." Mami said in a genuine and soft tone of voice, offering the wounded girl a small smile.

Kyouko wanted to distrust this girl, she wanted to get up and run out of Mami's home where she knew she would no longer be trapped. There were many things Kyouko thought she wanted in that moment, but despite her brain screaming at her to do everything and anything all at once she found herself asking a simple one word question.

"Why?"

It was a good question. Why did Mami find it so unbearable to think about this girl suffering? Why did the thought alone of sending her back to the streets cause such pain in Mami's heart? Yes, Mami liked to nurture and care for things that had been mistreated by others as her large previously abandoned plushy collection would attest…but was this the same?

Was she simply taking in a stray? Feeling sympathy for a creature less fortunate then herself?

No…it was not sympathy that she felt for Kyouko, it was empathy…

Mami didn't even have a guess as to what Kyouko had gone through in her life up to this point, but she did know that she was homeless. That much was clear from her shirt, as it looked like she had been wearing that same one for quite some time. Not to mention the lack of bra…

It was also clear that something traumatic had happened to her by the way she responded to Mami's tease, as well as the way she acted upon being told an ambulance was going to come for her.

A traumatic life experience that left a little girl alone in the world with no one to turn too…It was a situation Mami knew all too well.

"Because I didn't have anyone to be there for me when I needed it. I have friends now, people who care about me and I want to be that for you." A small, sad smile adorned Mami's lips as she stood and slowly walked over to Kyouko so as not to spook her. While keeping Kyouko's dignity intact, Mami helped Kyouko back over and onto the stool.

Silence overtook the two as Mami busied herself with cleaning Kyouko's body wounds, making sure not to touch or look at the red heads private bits. Kyouko meanwhile simply went through the motions as her mind tried to sort itself out, which was proving quite a chore.

Some parts of her mind still told her to run, some told her to give in and enjoy being cared for. While others still told her it was okay to get a little help, but not to get comfortable because that is when everything goes wrong for her.

Those inner voices were only taking up a small portion of her thoughts however, the main thing on Kyouko's mind was what Mami had said. Not so much the words, but the emotion behind them…

Kyouko couldn't find what emotion that was. She had heard people address her with everything from sympathy and remorse to anger and distain, but never had she heard words directed at her laced with so much…The emotion was unknown to her, it was almost as if Mami truly cared about her.

It was impossible though, Kyouko had done nothing for her and had only been difficult when she offered her hand. So why was it the more she thought about those words she spoke the warmer her chest became?

Mami couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips as she watched Kyouko's face scrunch up into an adorable puzzled expression. She was so lost in thought that she didn't react to the disinfectant, nor to the washing, she didn't even notice when Mami slid off her pants and underwear.

Respectfully not looking at certain places…

"I'm going to rinse out your hair Sakura-san, please close your eyes." Mami said sweetly, giving Kyouko a few moments to come back to reality and shut her eyes before Mami poured the small bucket of water over her head.

"I don't want to damage your hair so we won't wash it again right now, but maybe in a couple hours we will take a bath again." Mami said with a small giggle as Kyouko's hands deftly went to cover her crotch, now noticing her was fully nude.

"When did-?" Kyouko muttered to herself before Mami spoke up again.

"I'm going to go get dinner started, are you able to finish washing up on your own?" The caring tone that came along with her words only served to reignite the confusion in Kyouko's mind. Before she let herself get carried away by her thoughts again Kyouko nodded. After a quick warning about putting on the bandages while still wet Mami left the bathroom.

Mami busied herself with making a large meal consisting of multiple types of foods and flavors, hoping something would please Kyouko's palette. Completely caught up in her work Mami was unsurprised when after what only felt like a few minutes Kyouko padded down the hall and into the kitchen.

It took some restraint on Mami's part not to squeal at how adorable Kyouko looked in Mami's fluffy sleep pants and large oversized tee-shirt.

"That smells really good." Kyouko said, swallowing hard as she looked at all the different plates of food covering Mami's table.

"I'm glad you think so! Hopefully there is something on there you will like, please sit down I should have the last few things ready in just a moment." Mami said cheerfully as she added something Kyouko couldn't even guess at into the bowl she had in her arms.

Hesitantly Kyouko sat in the chair closest to where she stood, her eyes never leaving the veritable mountain of food sat before her. It was getting harder by the second to not simply start tearing into the food in front of her, but luckily Mami finally brought over the last few things she had made and sat down at the table as well.

No sooner had the words of thanks left Mami's mouth did food start entering Kyouko's.

The blond openly laughed at the sight, but it was a good hearted laugh and even if it had been in mockery Kyouko didn't seem to care as all her focus seemed to be on eating as much of the food on the table as was possible.

"You know Sakura-san I cooked that food for you to enjoy, if you eat everything in one bite how will I know what your favorites are to make next time?" Mami teased with another soft laugh, taking a bite from her own food as if trying to show Kyouko how it was done.

Kyouko's face twisted into a puzzled expression as she lowered the pile of food she had raised to her mouth back down to its plate. "What do you mean…next time?"

"Well when we have dinner tomorrow night, I suppose I could make one of these dishes for breakfast tomorrow, but I thought omelets would be better." Mami said nonchalantly, purposefully avoiding the red heads gaze in an effort to make what she was suggesting seem less forced and more of a naturally next step.

"I appreciate you helping me and letting me eat your food, but I'm not some stray dog you can just keep because it makes you look like a good person." Kyouko's tone was dark and was filled with that self-loathing Mami had seen the girl exhibit a few times before. It was an emotion Mami simply could not allow to plague this girl, it was something she felt she personally had help remove from Kyouko's shoulders.

"I can be a bit of a pain to live with you know. Always fretting and being a bit of a neat freak, I think what I need to keep me in check is a headstrong roommate who isn't going to walk on rice paper around me." Mami said before taking a long sip of her tea, eyes cracking open slightly to see Kyouko mulling over her offer.

Mami offered another offhand comment about how her monthly rent was already taken care of before letting silence overtake the table. The two ate in that somewhat tense silence for what felt like hours to Kyouko before she finally made up her mind.

It was tough trying to pick out which voice was right, should she leave or should she stay? It wasn't until after their meal and Mami had started taking dishes to the kitchen did Kyouko finally shut out the voices in her head and decided to listen to her heart.

The older girl smiled warmly when Kyouko walked into the kitchen holding some dirty dishes with a small blush on her cheeks.

"I had a home downtown, near the fishery. It was a nice wooden crate in a back alley shielded from the wind and rain, some shady delinquents decided that alley was theirs today…" Kyouko said softly as she sat the dishes beside the sink, unsure of what to do with her hands now she simply started wringing them together in front of her while she continued.

"I knew fighting with them over it was a silly thing to do, but it was all I had. I have nothing now and nowhere to go…if you want maybe I could be, like, a housekeeper or something…I don't want to impose and stuff and-" Kyouko's rambling was cut short by Mami's soft giggle and her index finger placed gently over her lips.

"Not housekeeper, roommate and friend. What do you say Sakura-san, want to keep me company here for a while?" Mami's smile was almost blinding to Kyouko and even if the slightly taller girl had wanted to turn her down before she sure couldn't now that he was facing down such a smile of unbridled joy.

"Friend huh? Okay Mami, let's be roommates…and friends." Kyouko said with a bright and cheery smile of her own. It was a smile that did something to Mami's stomach, a smile that for some reason made her weak in the knees.

It was a smile that made her so very happy. It was a smile she swore she would protect.

"I'd like that very much Kyouko."


End file.
